Trick or Treat
by The Introverted Extrovert
Summary: Abby's Halloween party takes an unexpected turn when Kate and Tony end up in a heated competition.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Don't own the characters or the show…and I can't even take credit for the costume idea as a friend suggested I dress up as it for a Halloween party last week.**

 **I've started re-watching** _ **NCIS**_ **recently (and re-reading some of my favourite Tate fanfics on this site) and massively missing Kate and her dynamic with Tony. This little story idea popped up – it's a bit silly but hopefully you enjoy it.**

* * *

The costume had seemed like a good idea at the time. But as she stepped into Abby's place to be greeted by a sea of yodas, ghouls and way too many sexy firemen and animal costumes, she began to regret her choice.

'Kate!'

Abby came bounding towards Kate, her typical pigtails replaced by loose, wavy hair and a floor length black gown.

'Let me guess,' Kate said as they pulled away from a hug, 'Morticia Adams?'

'You got it!' Abby clapped her hands in glee and took a step back to look at Kate's costume. 'Um…'

Kate held up her rose, hoping her dress wasn't going to fall down with the sudden movement. Definitely not the right costume choice. 'I'm a bachelorette.'

'Oh cool! I see that now. So who are you planning on giving the rose away to?'

Kate couldn't help but smile at Abby's wink. 'No one. The only place it's going is back home with me to join the rest of the bouquet in a vase.'

'I don't know about that.' Abby took Kate's hand and guided her to a part of the room where they had a clear view of everyone. 'That cowboy over there is pretty cute.'

Kate accepted the drink Abby offered her and shook her head. 'Not my type.' She looked around and her eyes settled on an athletic body. 'Now that gladiator over there, I'd be more likely to give my rose to him.'

'That's Tony.'

Kate's eyebrows shot up and she craned her neck to try to see more of him. 'No it's not!'

'It isn't. But it was worth it for your reaction,' Abby said with a giggle. She nudged Kate as the front door next to them started to open. 'Let's see – maybe whoever this is will be worthy of the rose.'

The new arrival was wearing a suit. Not bad, Kate thought. She had a bit of a thing for men in suits. Her eyes travelled up to meet a pair of familiar blue eyes just as Abby gave a giggle next to her.

'I'm going to leave you guys to sort this out,' Abby declared.

'Sort out what?' Tony said in confusion but Abby was already on her way.

Kate looked down at what Tony was holding in his hand.

'Dammit, Tony!' she exclaimed just as he came out with, 'What the hell, Kate?'

They stood before each other, suit to evening dress, red rose to red rose, bachelor to bachelorette.

'I had this planned for weeks!' Kate complained.

'Well, you should have told me,' Tony retorted.

'It's not too late – you can get rid of the rose and say you've come dressed up as…I don't know, someone from a movie who's wearing a suit.'

'Why don't _you_ get rid of the rose and pretend to be someone else?'

'Because I got here first!'

'As someone who actually watches the show, I think I should get to keep my outfit. Besides, I bet you couldn't even name who the bachelorette this season was.'

'And I bet you couldn't name all the guys who were competing for her this season!'

'The guys are irrelevant. I'm only interested in the girls.'

'Of course you are.'

Kate drained the remainder of her drink in frustration and Tony took a step closer to her. 'Face it, Kate, we're stuck with these outfits.'

He paused as he scanned her dress. Form fitting. Nicely low cut. And that lace that turned sheer just before it hit the knees to show off some leg! Definitely a step above a standard little black dress.

His eyes must have loitered for just a moment longer than he realised because the next thing he knew, he was being whacked by Kate's rose. 'Cut it out, Tony!'

'Hey, is it my fault that dress is flattering? It's nice.'

Kate paused for a moment, taken aback at the compliment. She hated to admit it, but as she'd been getting ready that evening, there was a part of her that was hoping Tony would notice the dress.

'Well, thanks. I guess.'

'So, how are you going to decide who gets the rose?'

'I'm not.'

'What do mean you're not?'

'I mean I'm going to hold on to this rose and take it home with me.'

'You've got that all wrong, Kate,' Tony said seriously, shaking his head. 'You're meant to get rid of the rose and take someone home with you instead.'

Kate raised her eyebrows sceptically. 'Well, that's clearly your plan for the night.'

'Hopefully,' Tony said with a shrug. 'But this rose isn't for just anyone.'

'So you actually have standards?'

'Ouch, Katie,' Tony said, clutching his chest in mock drama before pouring the both of them a drink. 'I'll have you know that I have strict conditions for the giving of this rose.'

'Uh huh.'

'You see, if you actually watched the show – like I keep telling you to – you would know all of this.'

'So enlighten me,' Kate said. 'Tell me what these strict conditions are.'

'Okay,' Tony said, settling in to the game. 'So for starters, it needs to be someone who you have a connection with. Now, you figure this out by placing them in extreme situations and giving them lots of alcohol.'

'The beginning of all successful relationships.'

'Then, you have to figure out why they are on this journey. If it's only for fame or to cause drama, you cut them loose after a few episodes. But not until you've kissed them.'

'Of course. So you pick an attractive person with no ulterior motive and then you both become national celebrities for fifteen minutes.'

'Twenty, if you're lucky.'

'Don't flatter yourself.'

'And to think I complimented you on your dress!' Tony said, pretending to be offended. 'Do you want to learn about the sacred giving of the rose or not?'

'Please continue,' Kate said, trying unsuccessfully to fight the smile twitching at the corner of her lips. As much as he drove her crazy at times, she also couldn't deny that Tony had a way of being able to make almost any situation fun.

'Right, so like I said: my plan for this party is to give everyone lots of alcohol, put them in at least one extreme situation and then question them to find out why they're here.'

'I think you'll find most people are here because they were invited by Abby,' Kate said. 'And what sort of extreme situation do you think you'll be able to put people in at a Halloween party?'

'I was thinking a wet t-shirt competition.'

'Tony, _when_ are you going to let that go?'

'Maybe seeing it in real life will be my first step towards recovery.'

Kate rolled her eyes and Tony used that opportunity to refill her glass.

'Tony!' Kate exclaimed, realisation dawning on her. 'Are you trying to get me drunk?'

Tony paused for a moment trying to figure out the best way to respond to this situation. '…No?'

'Let's make this clear,' she said, stepping towards him. 'I am not going to be plied with alcohol. I will not be entering any wet t-shirt competition. And I am not going to take any part in this silly rose…thing.'

'Fine!' Tony exclaimed as she turned around and started heading off. 'But don't blame me when you wake up alone tomorrow.'

Okay, he thought, as he watched her retreating figure. So that didn't go exactly as planned.

To be honest, he hadn't really had much of a plan for tonight except to check out Kate's outfit and maybe try to flirt with her a little. And then, in typical Kate fashion, she'd surprised him by turning up in the same costume and what was meant to be fun banter had turned into a bit of an argument.

He took a sip of his drink and looked around the room. Sure, there were attractive people here. There were also some straight out weird people, he thought, looking at someone who had dressed as a carrot. But Kate – who just happened to be one of the most frustrating people he knew – was the only one he really wanted to talk to. To spend time with.

As much as he tried to fight it, there was something about her that pulled him in. That made him want to just be around her and get a reaction from her – whether it was a smile, an eye roll, a laugh or even a hit with the rose.

He sighed and stared into his glass. The night was still young; maybe she would come around.

* * *

Half an hour later, Kate found herself leaning against a wall and wearily gazing around her. She'd talked to Abby and McGee who, apart from Tony, were the only people she knew at the party but she'd got the impression that they were after some alone time.

Meanwhile, she'd noticed that Tony had spent the whole time working the room. While Kate tended to find small talk a bit awkward and tiring at times, it was clear Tony had no problem with it. She'd seen him bounce from person to person, easily working his way in to any conversation.

Right on cue, he sidled next to her and tapped her arm with his rose. 'You look like you're having a blast.'

'Any takers on your wet t-shirt competition yet?'

'Nah,' Tony said, taking a sip of his drink. 'They all chickened out when I told them they'd be competing against you.'

Kate rolled her eyes but couldn't help the butterflies appearing in her stomach. Was Tony _flirting_ with her?

'Besides, with some of those outfits you can see so much already that you don't need a wet t-shirt competition. '

And there he was again. Typical DiNozzo.

What was she doing, hiding in this corner of the room when for all she knew, there could be someone here who she was actually compatible with? Tony clearly wasn't going to make a move on her – it was silly for her to even think it – and she decided then and there that she was not going to waste her night hoping for something that couldn't happen and then being disappointed when it didn't.

Brazened by her third, Kate looked up at Tony. 'Well, good luck with that. I'm going to find someone to give my rose to.'

'Wait – what?' Tony said, stepping towards her in surprise. 'I thought you were totally against that.'

Kate shrugged. 'That was before I had a proper look around at the people here.'

'Oh come on,' Tony scoffed. 'You're telling me you think Harry Potter over there might be your perfect match? Or maybe that fireman who hasn't left the snacks table?'

'Wouldn't you like to know.'

Tony paused, catching the determined look on Kate's face. She actually looked like she meant to go through with this.

'Well, in that case,' he said slowly, 'I guess it's on. Good luck finding someone to give that rose to, Kate.'

'I think you'll need that more than me,' she snapped, before walking off in the direction of a gladiator.

Tony opened his mouth to come back with a smart reply but she was already too far away to hear him.

Right, that was it, he thought as he watched Kate introduce herself to that damn gladiator. He'd have to find someone to give his rose to before she did.

* * *

 **Let me know if I should continue (and if there are still Tate fans out there!).**

 **Reviews are as essential as coffee in the morning and wine at night.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews :) Hope you enjoy the new chapter!**

* * *

She could feel his eyes on her. And sure enough, as she sneaked a glance to her side, she could see Tony a few feet away watching her. Trying her best to ignore him, she re-focused her attention on the man in front of her.

'I can lift 155 pounds,' the gladiator was telling her proudly.

'That's…great. So, how do you know Abby?'

'Huh?'

'The person throwing this party. How do you know her?'

'Oh, her – friend of a friend,' he said uninterestedly. 'Yeah, so like I said I can lift 155 pounds. Do you go to the gym?'

'Ah, sometimes.' Surely there was another topic besides fitness. 'So, what do you do for work?'

'I'm a personal trainer.' Go figure. Kate tried not to roll her eyes. 'I could tell you go to the gym just by looking at you.'

The gladiator leaned against the wall, running his eyes over Kate appreciatively. Kate instinctively took a small step back and a large sip of her drink. Alcohol now seemed like the best way to get through this party.

Across the room, Tony couldn't help but smile. Not only did Kate look like she was bored of the gladiator's company but he'd spotted the perfect person to flirt with.

He walked across the room, picking up another drink and flashed his most winning smile to the nurse standing almost next to Kate and the gladiator.

'You look like you could use some company,' he told her once he was in earshot, holding out the cup he'd picked up. 'And a drink.'

'Thanks but I don't drink,' she told him. She looked up at him and gave a smile. 'I'll accept the company, though.'

'Cute outfit. I've always had a thing for nurses.'

The nurse giggled as Tony winked at her.

'You know, ever since I got to this party I've been feeling off. Maybe you tell me what I've got?'

'I'm not really a nurse,' she told him seriously. 'I just dressed up that way for the party.'

Tony paused for a moment. He was so used to bantering with someone who could more than match him, he'd almost forgotten that not everyone was like that.

'Right,' he said, taking a step towards her. 'So you don't think you could help with my racing heart?'

She giggled again and placed her hand on Tony's chest. 'I can't feel it racing. I can't feel it at all.'

He forced a smile and moved her hand to the other side of his chest.

'How about now?'

Kate suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. She was trying not to listen, really, but Tony had planted himself right next to her and was now flirting shamelessly with some girl wearing some trashy nurse outfit while she was stuck listening to this gladiator tell her about why she should try the keto diet. Clearly, she'd have to step things up if she wanted to annoy Tony as much as he was annoying her.

'So…can you think of any exercise you'd recommend for me?' Kate said suggestively, trying to ignore how much she was cringing on the inside. Flirting was definitely not something that came naturally to her. 'Maybe something that can be done at home? In my bedroom?'

The gladiator's eyes lit up. 'Have you tried HIIT?'

Kate suppressed the urge to scream in frustration and drank some of her wine instead. Right next to her, she was sure that she could see Tony's lips twitch in amusement.

It took him a moment to recover after Kate's failed flirting attempt but Tony fought down the urge to laugh and focused back on the nurse in front of him.

'So, nurse Sarah – '

'I told you Tony, I'm not really a nurse,' she giggled. He was beginning to get sick of the sound of her giggle.

'Okay – so, _Sarah_ ,' he said pointedly, resting a hand on the wall just above her shoulder. 'I need your help with something.'

'What's that?'

'Have you ever watched _The Bachelor_ before?'

She nodded.

'Great, so you know how they make them do challenges to see who's compatible with the guy?'

She nodded again.

'I was thinking of doing one of those challenges here.'

' _Here_?'

'Yep, here. At this party. How do you feel about a wet t-shirt competition?'

He could almost sense Kate rolling her eyes near him while in front of him, Sarah giggled again.

'But I'm not wearing a t-shirt.'

'I'm sure we can arrange something. I have to warn you, though – in this room is a previous wet t-shirt champion.'

'Huh?'

'Yep. She's standing right next to us.'

'Really, Tony?' he looked over at Kate, who'd turned around to face him, eyes blazing with anger.

'She has a bit of a problem with her temper, too,' he told Sarah.

'You want to talk problems?' Kate snapped, before turning to Sarah. 'His problem is that he hasn't matured since the eighth grade.'

'And her problem,' Tony directed to the confused looking gladiator, 'is that she takes everything so seriously that she's forgotten how to have fun.'

'That is not true!'

'Really? Then why wouldn't you play hangman with me yesterday?'

'Because we were working! And because your hangman words are always related to sex or crappy movies.'

Neither of them noticed the gladiator and the nurse looking over at each other.

'Hey,' said the gladiator.

'Hey,' giggled the nurse.

The gladiator motioned towards another part of the room and the two of them started walking away.

'So,' said the gladiator, 'do you go the gym?'

'And your hangman words are always about the case we're working on!' Tony fired back, oblivious to the gladiator and nurse walking away.

'Well, one of us has to focus!'

Kate took a large sip of her drink and Tony could notice rosy patches rising in her cheeks, unsure if it was from anger or the wine or both.

'Keep drinking, Kate,' he said. 'Maybe that will make you loosen up and have some fun.'

'Well, I don't know what _I_ can suggest to help you grow up,' she bit back. 'I think that's a lost cause.'

She turned around to go back to her conversation with the gladiator only to realise that he'd left.

'Great,' she muttered, just as Tony realised that Nurse Sarah had taken off as well.

'We got ditched!' Tony exclaimed. 'Some people just don't appreciate hangman.'

Kate set down her empty glass and took a deep breath. She didn't know if she could deal much more with Tony's banter and she was more than ready for this horrible night to end. 'I'm going home.'

'Wait –' Tony started but his words were drowned out by the sea of voices and music, and Kate walked out the door with surprising speed.

'Dammit, woman,' he muttered before following her.

Across the room, McGee took a step towards the door before Abby grabbed him. 'Don't'

'Kate looks pretty angry, Abby,' McGee told her. 'Don't you think we should stop him?'

'Nope.' A smiled played on Abby's face. 'Twenty dollars that tonight's the night they finally get together.'

For a moment, a frown crossed McGee's face before he made his decision. 'You're on.'

* * *

 **Will Kate and Tony finally get together? Or will they have the fight to end all fights?**

 **Or will they do neither and spend the rest of the night playing hangman instead?**

 **Only one way to find out: review (pretty please)!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews! :) Each of them makes my day so keep them coming!**

* * *

It was cold outside. It took her a few moments to notice it – the wine probably helped with the slower reaction time, to be honest – but now she was acutely aware of the fact that she was freezing her ass off and questioning whether leaving the warmth of Abby's place had really been the right decision.

'Kate!'

She tried to ignore him as she scrambled in her bag for her phone.

' _Kate!'_

It didn't work. He was standing directly in front of her now, almost forcing her to look at him.

' _What_ Tony?' she snapped. 'You thought you'd come outside and see if you could ruin my night further?'

'Hey, it's not my fault you buddied up to a guy who barely has one functioning brain cell.'

Her eyes darkened angrily and he held up his hands in defeat before quickly hurrying on. 'Anyway, that's not why I came out here.'

'Then why _did_ you come out here Tony?'

'I-' he paused for a moment and Kate frowned in confusion. He shrugged off his jacket and handed it to her, noticing the arms she was hugging to herself were shivering in the cold.

She hesitated for a moment before taking it from him. 'Thanks,' she muttered reluctantly, rolling up the sleeves which were miles too long for her.

'I wanted to check if you were okay.'

'You wanted to check if I was okay?' He gave a small shrug of confirmation and tried to hide a smile as she stepped towards him and one of the sleeves she'd just carefully rolled up unravelled and swallowed up her hand.

' _Maybe_ I would have been okay if you had just left me alone and not picked the woman standing _right next_ to me to flirt with. _Maybe_ I would have been okay if you didn't use tonight as an opportunity to tell strangers about the wet t-shirt contest.'

She took a step back, pushing the sleeve up again and focusing on her handbag. 'And _maybe_ I'd be okay if I could just find my damn phone to order a ride home and get away from here!'

'Let me give you a lift.'

She looked at him sceptically. 'I haven't had as much to drink as you. And my car has heating. I don't know if you've noticed, Kate, but it's kind of cold out here. Especially now that I'm down a jacket.'

She hesitated for a moment before the allure of heating won over. 'Fine.'

She followed him to his car in silence and turned away from him to look out the window as he started the engine. It took a few minutes for the heating to kick in but there was no denying it was much more comfortable to be in the car rather than hanging around outside.

He should have been focusing only on driving but he couldn't help but steal a quick glance over at Kate. She looked cute in his jacket – the whole thing was too big for her, which made her seem more vulnerable somehow. She'd rested her head on a hand, giving up on rolling the sleeves back, so that they fell big and clumsy on her small arms. He knew, though, that if he told her any of this they would probably be the last words he would ever speak.

He gave her silence for most of the car ride which, really, was not the easiest thing in the world for someone like Tony to do. But when they were a few streets away from Kate's place, he decided to take a gamble and break the silence.

'So, you didn't like me flirting with another woman?'

If he was trying to get her attention it worked. Her head immediately snapped around to face him, mouth open in surprise. ' _What_?'

'Well, you _did_ say that you might have been okay if I hadn't flirted with Nurse Sarah.'

'Because she was standing _right next_ to me,' Kate reminded him, through gritted teeth.

'But if you weren't bothered by me flirting with someone, then it shouldn't matter if they're there next to you or on the opposite side of the room.'

She wanted to think of a quick reply but her mind was filled with the fact that she'd just dug herself into a hole that she couldn't get out of, so she settled for snapping 'you're impossible, Tony,' before turning to look out the window again.

Of _course_ Tony would pick up on her tipsy slip of the tongue. And of _course_ Tony would use it against her. She could feel the blush rising to her cheeks as she wondered how many ways he would find to remind her of this in the future and keep the humiliation she was feeling right now fresh.

For the millionth time, she found herself wondering why she had to fall for Tony of all people and thinking of how much easier her life would be if she could just fall for one of those boring, stable guys her friends and family were always trying to set her up with.

But 'easy' wasn't part of Kate Todd's vocabulary. She'd spent her whole life proving herself, pushing herself, refusing to settle and always aiming for those things that were just a bit more difficult or out of reach. So of course that would have to translate to her not being able to fall for a 'suitable' guy and instead finding herself obsessing over her womanising, immature co-worker who would never fall for someone like her.

She sighed in frustration before realising that the car was slowing to a stop outside her apartment. As soon as Tony put the car in park, she opened the door and got out as quickly as she could before realising Tony was doing the same.

'I'll walk you up to your apartment,' he offered.

'Don't worry about it,' she muttered, eager to put some distance between them.

Clearly, he wasn't so eager to put distance between them since her words hadn't appeared to have deterred him in the slightest and he was now walking right next to her.

'I'm not worried,' he said cheerfully. 'I just figure this way I can get my jacket back once you're inside rather than making you strip it off on the street and freeze again.'

'Oh.' She'd forgotten she was wearing his jacket, to be honest. Which was surprising, considering it was so big she kept on having to pull the shoulders up to stop it from falling down. Humiliation seemed to have a way of overshadowing smaller annoyances like that.

'You know,' he said, as they climbed the stairs to her floor, 'you really should think of upgrading your apartment. There's this fantastic invention called elevators which means you can actually get to your floor and be able to breathe at the same time.'

'It wasn't my idea to have you follow me up to my place, Tony.'

'Probably not a good idea to climb all these stairs alone after a few wines, though. What if you fell?'

'I'm not drunk.'

'I didn't say you were. Tipsy, maybe. Unable to operate heavy machinery, definitely.'

'Okay,' Kate said, turning around to face him. 'We're at my floor now, you can go home.'

Tony shook his head. 'I don't think so. What if your gladiator friend is hanging around waiting for a late night hook up? Or –' his eyes widened in pretend shock, 'what if Nurse Sarah is with him and they're after a ménage a trois? I should definitely walk you to your apartment to make sure.'

Kate rolled her eyes and walked to her door, swinging it open as she unlocked it. 'There. No gladiator. No nurse. Just my empty apartment. Happy?'

She placed her handbag on the table and turned to find him walking towards her. 'Well, not really, Kate.'

'What _now_ , Tony?' she sighed, her hand resting on the chair next to her to support herself.

'You know how you didn't like me flirting with Nurse Sarah?'

She opened her mouth to protest but Tony continued speaking before she got the chance to. 'Did you ever think that maybe _I_ was jealous of seeing you flirt with that gladiator?'

Whatever she had been expecting him to say, it definitely wasn't that.

And whatever she had been expecting him to do, it definitely wasn't him closing the distance between them after he said those words, placing his hands on her waist and bringing his lips down to meet hers.

She hadn't meant to react – or at least, it had happened so fast that all she really knew was that she didn't _think_ she had meant to react – but the feel of his lips brought something to life in her that she hadn't felt in a very long time. And the next thing she knew, her hands were resting on his neck and she was bringing her body in closer to his and her mind was full of Tony.

When they finally pulled away, she opened her eyes to find Tony looking at her with one of those infuriating smiles of his.

'Night, Katie.'

And the next thing she knew, he'd walked out her door.

It took a few moments to gather herself together, to realise she was staring at the now closed door and gaping like an idiot.

It was still a few moments after that she realised she was still wearing his jacket.

* * *

 **Will Tony come back and demand the return of his jacket? Or was it a deliberate ploy to bring Kate (and his jacket) to his place? Or will neither happen and will Kate let the jacket lie forgotten in her closet forever?**

 **To find out the fate of Tony's jacket and to keep Tate alive in 2019:**

 **Review! (Pretty please.)**


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